Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Muffins
Soft on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside, these shareable focaccia muffins are a perfect side dish to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. Each focaccia muffin is topped with a buttery rosemary and garlic topping that takes it to the next level, so you can shine at your next dinner party!
WHY I MADE THESE MINI FOCACCIA MUFFINS
If you haven’t tried making focaccia before, you should! It’s one of the easiest breads to master because focaccia requires very little kneading. All you have to do is measure the ingredients correctly, do a little mixing, allow the dough to rise, and then you’re well on your way to making deliciously tasty focaccia muffins at home.
Now, compare that to sourdough bread which requires a delicate dough fold every 30 minutes for hours and hours and hours…
My Easy Fluffy Focaccia recipe is a favorite among my family, and they request that I make it every holiday season. I got the request to make it recently and then got an idea: what if I made a more portable, snack-sized version of that recipe? And maybe I could make it in muffin tins so that they’re easier to pass around at the dinner table?
Thus, these mini rosemary garlic focaccia muffins were born!
MY FOCACCIA MUFFINS RECIPE
The full recipe for my rosemary garlic muffins are below–it’s super easy! But here’s the gist of it:
- Day one: Mix the yeast, honey, and water together in a large bowl. Then, add the flour and salt to the bowl, and mix everything with a large spoon. Next, drizzle olive oil on top of the dough, and gently turn the dough in the oil so it’s coated. Finally, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight.
- Day two: The next day, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled counter. Then divide the dough in half, and then cut six pieces from each half for a total of twelve dough strips. Finally, divide the dough into the muffin tins, and allow the dough to rise.
- Rosemary Garlic Topping: Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the minced rosemary and garlic. Remove the pan from the heat and gently swirl it around to quickly cook.
- Focaccia Muffins, cont: Drizzle spoonfuls of the rosemary garlic topping evenly over the dough. Bake until the tops are lightly golden brown, and then brush the hot focaccia muffins with melted butter and sprinkle with the finishing salt.
FOCACCIA MUFFINS KEY INGREDIENTS
- active dry yeast
- honey
- bread flour
- extra-virgin olive oil
- rosemary
- garlic
HOW LONG DO THESE MINI FOCACCIAS TAKE TO MAKE?
Firstly, plan out two days to make these focaccia muffins. Just so you know, the reason why is because you will want to let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight for at least 8 hours. And then, once you take it out of the fridge the dough will need to rise for another two hours on the counter at room temperature.
Like I said earlier, focaccia is easy to make because there’s very little hands-on time involved but you will need to wait a bit for the dough to rise. Trust me, it’s very much worth the wait though!
HOW TO STORE THESE FOCACCIA MUFFINS?
Because the texture of bread recipes changes over time, these rosemary focaccia muffins taste best the day they’re made. So, I recommend serving them the same day that you bake them. Also, you don’t want to refrigerate the baked bread because they’ll dry out and get hard in the fridge.
However, for long term storage, you can freeze the (unbuttered) muffins for a few months. Then, bake them in the oven at 375 for about 10-20 minutes to reheat.
FOCACCIA MUFFINS FAQ
1. I only have all purpose flour. Do I have to use bread flour?
No, you don’t have to use bread flour for this recipe. So, you are welcome to use all purpose flour if that’s what you have. When I was testing this recipe, I found that using bread flour gives this focaccia muffins a sturdier texture and more delicate chew, which is my personal recommendation for this recipe.
So, I’ve also made them with all purpose flour and they came out good, but bread flour is my preference.
2. What type of yeast should I use?
Use any instant yeast for this recipe. Quick tip though: My all time favorite ride-or-die yeast brand is Saf, which you can find HERE! This yeast has never failed me. It’s very active and all of my breads rise perfectly with this yeast.
3. My focaccia didn’t rise! What happened?
Oh no! I hate when that happens. Here, check out my blog post 6 REASONS WHY YOUR DOUGH DIDN’T RISE to troubleshoot the problem.
4. What else can I put on my focaccia besides rosemary and garlic?
The possibilities are endless! You could try roasted corn (like in my roasted corn and shallot focaccia recipe), or chopped olives, herbs, sun dried tomatoes… yum!
5. Is this recipe vegan?
Yes, this focaccia muffin recipe can easily be made vegan by swapping the honey for white sugar, or maple syrup. And, you can also brush the tops with melted vegan butter instead of regular butter if you’d like.
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Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ tsp active dry yeast*
- 1 tsp honey**
- 1 ¼ c warm water
- 2 1/2 c bread flour***
- 2 tsp sea salt
- ¼ c extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp finishing salt like Le Saunier de Camargue Herbes De Provence Fleur de Sel
Rosemary Garlic Topping
- 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 sprigs of rosemary minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
Focaccia Muffins: Day one
- Mix the yeast, honey, and water together in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until the mixture gets foamy and yeasty.
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl, and mix everything with a large spoon or spatula until a rough dough forms. The dough may still seem wet, but it should hold together.
- Drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil on top of the dough, and gently turn the dough in the oil so it’s coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight, at least 8 hours. The dough will double in size.Alternatively, cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or until doubled in size. Continue with the next step.
Day two
- The next day, drizzle an additional 2 tbsp of olive oil on the dough and give the dough a quick knead to deflate it in the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled counter. Pat it into a rough rectangle (the dough will still be a little sticky).
- Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough in half, and then cut six pieces from each half for a total of twelve pieces of dough.
- Grease a muffin pan with olive oil. Divide the dough into the muffin tins. The dough does not have to be perfectly round, but it should fit snugly into the tins.
- Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 2 hours. The dough will slowly rise inside the tins.
Rosemary Garlic Topping
- Meanwhile, prepare the Rosemary Garlic Topping by heating the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, turn off the heat and add the minced rosemary and garlic. Remove the pan from the heat and gently swirl it around to quickly cook the rosemary and garlic. This should only take a minute. If it starts to burn, transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Focaccia Muffins, cont.
- Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees.
- Oil your hands and poke deep holes all over the top of the dough. Don’t be shy–you want there to be lots of holes that touch the bottom of the pan!
- Drizzle about 1 tsp of the rosemary garlic oil evenly over each of the muffins. You may not use all of the oil.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Brush the hot focaccia muffins with melted butter and sprinkle with the finishing salt.
Notes
HI, I’M SAM!
I’m so glad you found salt n sprinkles! I started this blog to show that good, healthy food is both easy and delicious to prepare at home. Whether you have a dietary restriction or just like to try new recipes in the kitchen, I hope you find just what you’re looking for here.
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74 responses to “Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Muffins”
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For the yeast, you list active dry yeast but the recommendation you linked is for instant yeast. Which is supposed to be used?
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Hi Amanda! Sorry for the confusion, I used active yeast for this recipe!
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Hi, can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast.
Btw, could you list the recipe in metric (grams) calculations or measurements instead of cups measurements pls. Thank you -
Yes you can use instant! I’ve gotten quite a few requests for grams, I definitely will take that into account moving forward.
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These are fantastic! The recipe was easy to follow and the results were amazing. Every oven is different so mine only took 14 minutes in the oven at 450, and I turned them at 11 minutes for even browning. They came out perfectly. I will make these again and again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
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So glad you loved them Robyn!
These were such a big hit with my family! I will definitely be making this recipe again. It was easy to follow, and the flavors came out AMAZING. Not to mention, the muffins had the perfect crisp after 18 minutes in the oven with a pizza stone. 10/10 and no complaints!
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YAY I’m so happy they were a hit with you and your family 🙂
Hiya! I only have a pan that holds 6 muffins so I’d have to work in halves, would I bake them for half the time as you would for a full batch?
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Hi! You wouldn’t cut the time in half exactly but you can reduce it by maybe 5 or so minutes. I would start checking the oven at around the 15 minute mark to see how they’re doing.
I have just discovered your blog and your recipes look awesome!
I really want to try these muffins but eat gluten free. I was wanting to know if I could substitute gluten free bread flour?
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Hi Ann! Thanks so much for the support. I actually have a recipe for the gluten free version of these, here’s the link: https://saltnsprinkles.com/gluten-free-focaccia-muffins/
I know these are gonna be fabulous!!
I want to use my 2 mini cupcake pans for these. They each make two dozen. Can you please help me with estimating temp and time? I’ll rotate and turn the pans halfway thru bake time.
Thanks
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Hope you enjoy! If I had to guess, I would say bake them for maybe 10 minutes, and then start checking them. They probably won’t need to bake for more than 15 minutes total. Good luck!
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How did they work with the mini-muffin pan? Were they good, or all crust?
I made these today and they were so delicious. Thanks for sharing
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Thanks Cyn!
Can you please give cook time and temp for mini muffins?
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Hi Gia! The full recipe can be found in the recipe card on this page. If you start from the top of the page and scroll down, it can be found just past the “You May Also Like” section, and the link to the YouTube video.
These look so delicious! I can’t wait to try this recipe. It also had me thinking how tasty it would be as a pizza crust. Then I thought what if I add mozzarella and pepperoni pieces for a mini pizza focaccia. Have you tried it before?
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I love that idea! I haven’t tried that but please give it a try and let me know how it turns out 🙂
Can I leave in the fridge for longer than 8 hours? I want to make the dough the night before and bake for dinner the next day. It will be more like 12 hours later before I shape them and let them rise for the 2 hours.
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Yes I’ve done 24 hours before! It will be fine 🙂
His the temperature given for a fan oven or a regular oven?
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Hi! For a regular oven 🙂
Can you use GF flour in this recipe?
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Unfortunately it would not work the same. Here is my Gluten Free Focaccia Muffins recipe: https://saltnsprinkles.com/gluten-free-focaccia-muffins/
Instead of using the fridge to allow it to double in size can you leave it out to make in one day? If so how long would you leave it out?
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Hi! Yes you could leave it on the counter to proof for about 4 hours, and then continue the recipe as written.
Hi, these look delicious. I can’t wait to make them. Do you think I can use cupcake papers?
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Yes I think you can! The sides may not be as crispy, but still delicious.
Simple to make and delicious!
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Thank you Susan!
SooooOooOooOo good!! You have to make these!
I made it with all purpose flour and put some store-bought pesto on top instead of the olive oil. The bread still came out phenomenally!
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So happy to hear that!
I will try it out soon
How would you modify this to be sourdough? Would you follow your sourdough focaccia recipe, but split it into the muffin size after the bulk fermentation? Love the sourdough focaccia recipe and love this one so would love to find a way to combine them!
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Yes, that is exactly right! I’m planning to create a video showing how to do it 🙂
I’ve made these muffins twice today trying to figure out how to keep the rosemary from being baked and flaking off when the muffins are finished. I think I’ll try again and mix the rosemary in with the dough, and just season the oil with the garlic. The butter wash with salt is crucial for the full effect! Fun. Oh and I used instant yeast with the bread flour, worked great.
Would it work if I doubled the recipe?
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Yes, it works! Just be sure to have an extra pan 🙂
Would these muffins still be good baking them the night before and reheating the next day?
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Yes, you can! You can reheat them in a 400 F oven for about 10-20 minutes, until warmed through.
this is so yum! one of the only bread related recipes i make because i get my fix from it and it’s so easy! my friends and family have enjoyed this, especially served with butter or oil/vinegar. making this again for a potluck coming up. this recipe deserved more love <3
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Thanks so much Katherine!
Can you make the dough ahead of time and let it sit for a couple of days before making the muffins?
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Hi! You could probably cold proof the dough for 48 hours max.
Can I make them ahead? Bake and than reheat the following day to serve?
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Yes you can! I usually freeze them overnight (wrapped) and reheat at 400 for about 15-20 minutes the next day.
I now make these every year for Thanksgiving! The one tip I have is last year, the oil overflowed and filled my kitchen with smoke, so this year I put the cupcake tin on top of a cookie sheet to catch the overflowing oil. It did the trick and worked perfectly! Thanks!
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Thanks so much, Jamie! Sorry to hear the oil overflowed… You can also place the muffin pan on a baking sheet to catch any dripping oil. Glad you enjoy this recipe!
Hi! I’ve made this recipe as muffins multiple times and I looooove it. Have you ever made it as a loaf/what would you recommend for fish size and bake time?
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Thanks Quinn! You can make this in a 8×8 baking pan and bake at 450 for about 25 minutes as well.
This recipe is soooooo good I have made it for all three of my Thanksgiving events!! Truly a crowd pleaser!!!
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Thanks Mari!
I used the 1+1/4 cup of warm water and 2 +1/2 cup flour recommended and I did not get a wet dough. It was definitely dryer, not sure if I should’ve added more water. I’m waiting for it overnight at this point.
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Hi Nique! That has happened to me too sometimes, and the dough still turns out ok! Good luck.
THESE ARE DELICIOUS!!!! I found this recipe the day before thanksgiving and made these day of and they are SO GOOD!!! I used instant dry yeast and regular all purpose flour and they turned out amazing. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!
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Thanks so much Lauren!
Thanks for the recipe! I love focaccia so I made these for thanksgiving. They turned out well but the garlic burned before the rolls were browned so next time I would just warm/steep sliced garlic and rosemary springs in the ‘topping’ oil instead of chopping them. You still get the flavor without the bitterness. I also would add more oil to the muffin cups as I had a hard time getting most of the rolls out. Finally—I used the remaining garlic/rosemary oil (with more butter 🙄) to cook the celery and onions for my dressing. Delicious!
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Thanks for the feedback Liz!
I made these for Thanksgiving this year and they were done. So I made another batch today to eat with leftovers. They are super easy and so yummy!
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Thanks Stef!!
We made these for the first time this weekend and they were AMAZING!!! These are going to be made on repeat for sure.
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Thanks Jessica!
Hi!
I tried the recipe and the flavour was great – however my muffins were really dense and almost chewy. Do you have any recommendations on how to make them more fluffy?
I let the dough rise in the fridge for 3 days and let it rise at room temp for two and a half hours, then followed your cooking instructions
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Hi Ash, I’m glad you liked the flavor! The first thing that comes to mind for me is that the dough may have proofed for too long in the fridge. 8-12 hours is typical for cold proofing dough (I’ve pushed it to 24 hours before, but less time is recommended). The structure of the dough weakens if it’s overproofed. Next time, I recommend an overnight proof and see if that helps? I hope you give this recipe another try, it’s one of my favorites!
Hello! If you don’t have olive oil at home and have other oil (canola, corn) will that also work? Or does this recipe have to have olive oil? Thanks!
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Hi! I prefer olive oil because it is lighter than canola oil, which may weigh the dough (and has a heavier taste, in my opinion).
Most heavily tasting thing I’ve ever made!! Thank you hun for sharing this recipe and making the directions very clear and easy!
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Thanks so much!
These were delicious, but the rosemary and garlic topping burned when baked according to instructions. Any suggestions to prevent this? Also thank you for the recipe!
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Thanks Ash! I’ve seen quite a few people have a problem with this… I want to try out adding the rosemary garlic oil in the last 5-10 minutes of baking time to see if that helps!
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